By Benjamin Yator

For several weeks, media was awash with pictures and news of how the famine was ravaging parts of our country with fatal results.

In equal measure, the news was full of the blame game of who is responsible and the urgent measures to manage the devastating effects of the drought.

These included making it a national disaster, appealing for help from Kenyans to the international community.

To achieve help from the latter, the media put some really scary pictures of people on the brink of death from hunger.

I have no problem with this if it has to achieve the intended purpose of creating awareness and sympathy to attract much needed assistance in terms of donations both in foodstuff and funds.

Following all this media hype on the situation, Governments officials scurried back and forth to assess the situation, made some pronouncements and food was distributed her and there.

Next, individuals and private companies came together in a project called Kenyans for Kenya Initiative which netted over Sh500 million. This was commendable.

However, all these are reactive responses which are routine every other time drought and famine is reported in these parts of Kenya.

These are measures just to avoid death of animals and humans. But after this situation is contained, everything is back to normal until the next crisis.

To mitigate this happening again in future, we need to do the following basic things:

• Build stores for storing hay for animals and dry foods for people,

• Procure or construct water storage facilities in each village,

• Build dams and drill boreholes,

• Control livestock population,

• Construction of road networks, communication and improving security for communities in these areas

• Last but not least, involvement of communities living in these areas which are prone to droughts and cattle rustling on regular basis.

They say make hay while the sun shines for a rainy day. In our case, stock hay for a dry day.

Support for pastoralists

This should be applied literally in arid areas in Kenya ravaged by drought and eventually, devastating famine. In these lands, the most of those worst affected are pastoralists.

Hay can be used as animal fodder, particularly for grazing livestock, particularly when or where there is not enough pasture, and when grazing is unavailable due to drought or when lush pasture by itself is too rich for the health of the animal.

Pastoralists should be educated on the importance of animal feed storage such as hay.

They also need to sell some animals to get food for themselves and their livestock.

The Government should take greater role in educating people on this and the need to discard some cultural beliefs such as keeping large herds as a sign of wealth.

Building or procuring water tanks in each village is also a proactive measure to mitigate effects of drought.

The tanks can be underground or above the ground, plastic or concrete. These storage facilities shall complement water dams being constructed by Government in these areas.

Boreholes need also to be sunk and maintained.

Population density should determine each area’s carrying capacity since there is a limit at which the grazing land can sustain a certain number of livestock.

When this limit is reached and exceeded, no matter the amount of rain the area receives, the grass and other vegetation will not be given a chance to regenerate due to overgrazing and destruction by animal feet.

Then there must be support for pastoralists. Such initiatives can succeed when designed in agreement with the beneficiaries.

Herders have often proved willing supporters of activities to protect and improve their physical environment and livelihoods.

To compound these gains, infrastructure such as good roads

Network, health facilities, and improved security and communication systems is invaluable. Then famine will no longer be a byword for Kenya, ever again.

-Writer comments on social and development matters.